The Copenhagen criteria for accessing the European Union, adopted in 1993 by the European Council, require stable government institutions that should be able to guarantee democracy, rule of law, human rights and protection of minorities. To promote the development of such institutions in pre-accession countries, integrity policies and anti-corruption activities are important conditions. In addition, issues of integrity and corruption need to be dealt with in order to realise the five principles of good governance in the EU, as described in the White Paper on European Governance: openness, participation, accountability, effectiveness and coherence. The training programme Integrity of Civil Servants discusses how to design, implement and enforce a policy to promote the integrity of civil servants, as a contribution to transparent and accountable government institutions.

Training programme

The training programme increases understanding of the international and EU framework for integrity policy and the national context of the participants’ countries. The course provides insight in the roles and responsibilities of the different actors in promoting integrity of civil servants. The seven building blocks of integrity will be discussed, as well as coherence of integrity policies with the overall financial and HR-policy. Examples from The Netherlands are discussed and European organisations such as OLAF and GRECO present their work in the field of anti-corruption. In addition, knowledge and skills to develop a sustainable policy for the promotion of integrity of civil servants at different government levels is enhanced. Special attention is paid to obstacles and dilemmas in the implementation process and how to overcome them.

Target group

Senior civil servants and policy makers at national Ministries or subnational government charged with the development, implementation and enforcement of integrity policy for civil servants in their respective countries.